"A supportive medical team that can turn a person's..."

What I liked

I was treated for postnatal depression back in 2011 over about a four month period. This had been the worst thing that had ever happened to me and my lack of sleep, depressed mood and total lack of energy left me feeling like my life was falling apart at a time which was supposed to be one of the happiest times of my life. It had started that way initially but three weeks later my depression began. After an emergency referral from my doctor to the mental health team I started my treatment at the hospital. Initially this was in the form of appointments to speak with psychiatric nurses to assess my needs and phone calls with a psychiatrist. Later however, after my health took a turn for the worst I was visited at home and was able to contact the team 24hrs a day. The team kept in regular contact with me every day or every other day depending upon my progress. I was offered a range of therapies to support me as and when I needed them e.g. CBT, occupational therapy, meditation and often just another person to talk to who understood what I was going through/to answer any questions about my illness. Looking back I cannot believe the speed of my recovery considering how poorly I was. Not only were the mental health team a fantastic support to me but also to my family who found my illness very difficult to deal with. I would just like to say a big thank you to all the excellent staff who helped me to get better.

What could be improved

I would have liked to have seen more of a link between the maternity unit and the mental health team e.g. Could there be a nurse who's role is linked to maternity/postnatal care and the mental health team e.g. To help mother and baby